Methods and apparatus for a themed drinking vessel with theme

ABSTRACT

A themed drinking vessel according to various aspects of the present technology may comprise one or more themed elements disposed along a holding portion of the themed drinking vessel. The themed drinking vessel may generally comprise a bowl configured to hold a liquid for drinking having an upper lip, or rim, and a base. A holding portion may be coupled to the bowl to allow a user to hold the themed drinking vessel during use. A foot may be connected to a portion of the holding portion an allow the themed drinking vessel to stand upright when not in use. A themed element is disposed along a section of the holding portion.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.17/848,697, filed on Jun. 24, 2022, and incorporates the disclosure ofthis application by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE TECHNOLOGY

There are many types of drinking vessels. Human use of drinking vesselsextends beyond memory, tradition or recorded history. Like painting orpoetry, drinking vessels may be used as a form of expression orassertion of a user's personality, feelings or ideas, demonstrating theuniqueness of a user. A themed drinking vessel allows a user toindividualize or personalize their drinking vessel.

SUMMARY OF THE TECHNOLOGY

A themed drinking vessel according to various aspects of the presenttechnology may comprise one or more themed elements disposed along aholding portion of the themed drinking vessel. The themed drinkingvessel may generally comprise a bowl configured to hold a liquid fordrinking having an upper lip, or rim, and a base. A holding portion maybe coupled to the bowl to allow a user to hold the themed drinkingvessel during use. A foot may be connected to a portion of the holdingportion an allow the themed drinking vessel to stand upright when not inuse. A themed element is disposed along a section of the holdingportion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present technology may be derivedby referring to the detailed description and claims when considered inconnection with the following illustrative figures. In the followingfigures, like reference numbers refer to similar elements and stepsthroughout the figures.

FIG. 1 representatively illustrate a themed drinking vessel with a themedisposed on a holding portion in accordance with an exemplary embodimentof the present technology;

FIG. 2 representatively illustrates an alternative embodiment of athemed drinking vessel with a theme in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 3 representatively illustrates an alternative embodiment of athemed drinking vessel with a theme disposed along a handle portion inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 4 representatively illustrates an alternative embodiment of athemed drinking vessel with a theme disposed along a handle portion inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 5 representatively illustrates a method of manufacturing a themeddrinking vessel with theme in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present technology;

FIG. 6 representatively illustrates a process step of drilling a hole ina theme in accordance with an exemplary method of manufacturing of thepresent technology;

FIG. 7 representatively illustrates a process step of filling theinterior of the theme with an adhesive material in accordance with anexemplary method of manufacturing the present technology;

FIG. 8 representatively illustrates a process step of affixing a lowerportion of the holding portion to an interior of the theme in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 9 representatively illustrates a process step of affixing an upperportion of the holding portion to an interior of the theme in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 10 representatively illustrates an alternative embodiment of athemed drinking vessel with a theme disposed along a handle portion inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 11 representatively illustrates an alternative embodiment of athemed drinking vessel with a theme disposed at a second end of a handleportion in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presenttechnology; and

FIG. 12 representatively illustrates an alternative embodiment of athemed drinking vessel with a theme disposed at a second end of a handleportion in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presenttechnology.

Elements and steps in the figures are illustrated for simplicity andclarity and have not necessarily been rendered according to anyparticular sequence. For example, steps that may be performedconcurrently or in a different order are illustrated in the figures tohelp to improve understanding of embodiments of the present technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The present technology may be described in terms of functional blockcomponents and various processing steps. Such functional blocks may berealized by any number of components configured to perform the specifiedfunctions and achieve the various results. For example, the presenttechnology may employ various types of materials and connection devicesfor manufacturing the themed drinking vessel. In addition, the presenttechnology may be practiced in conjunction with any number of drinkingvessels, and the system described is merely one exemplary applicationfor the technology. Methods and apparatus for a themed drinking vesselwith a theme according to various aspects of the present technology mayoperate in conjunction with any suitable materials such as glass,plastic, ceramics, stainless steel, or other natural or syntheticmaterials.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4 , a themed drinking vessel 100 may comprise oneor more themed elements disposed along a holding portion of the themeddrinking vessel 100. For example, and referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 , athemed drinking vessel 100 may generally comprise a bowl 102 configuredto hold a liquid for drinking and having an upper lip and a base, aholding portion 104 extending downwardly from a lowermost portion of thebowl 102 at a first end, a foot 110 connected to a second end of theholding portion 104 and a theme 112 disposed along a section of theholding portion 104. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , in another embodiment,the themed drinking vessel 100 may comprise a bowl 102 having a lip anda base, a holding portion 104 affixed to a portion of the bowl 102,wherein the holding portion 104 comprises a first end and a second end,and a theme 112 disposed along a section of the holding portion betweenthe first end and the second end. The holding portion 104 may be affixedto the bowl 102 at any suitable location. In one embodiment, the firstend of the holding portion 104 may extend downwardly from the base ofthe bowl 102 (not shown). In an alternative embodiment, the first end ofthe holding portion 104 may protrude from an upper side of the bowl 102and the second end of the holding portion 104 protrudes from a lowerside of the bowl 102.

In another embodiment, referring to FIG. 10 , the holding portion 104may comprise a first end 1002 and a second end 1004 wherein the holdingportion 104 is configured to be attached to the bowl 102 at a singleend. For example, the first end 1002 may be attached to the bowl 102 ata suitable location. A middle section 1006 containing the theme 112 mayextend from the first end to the second end 1004 which is unconnected tothe bowl 102.

In another embodiment, referring to FIGS. 11-12 , the holding portion104 may be comprise a first end 1102 and a second end 1104 wherein theholding portion 104 is configured to be attached to the bowl 102 at asingle end. For example, the first end 1102 may be attached to the bowl102 at a suitable location. A middle section 1106 may extend away fromthe first end 1102 towards the second end 1104 which may be affixed to aportion of the theme 112. In some embodiments, the second end 1104 mayterminate within a portion of the theme 112.

In some embodiments, there may be two holding portions 104 attached tothe bowl 102 (not shown). A first holding portion 104 may be attached toa portion of the bowl 102 and a second holding portion 104 may beattached to a portion of the bowl 102 at an opposite point to allow fortwo-handed use.

The holding portion 104 is configured to receive or otherwise hold thetheme 112 in a fixed position between the first and second ends. Forexample, and referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2 , in one embodiment theholding portion 104 may be configured in two pieces comprising an upperportion 106 extending between the base of the bowl 102 and the theme 112and a lower portion 108 extending between the theme 112 and the foot110. In an alternative embodiment, the holding portion 104 may comprisea single piece stem that extends through the theme 112 from the firstend to the second end. In some embodiments, the holding portion 104 maycomprise a single piece that terminates within the theme 112.

The bowl 102 of the themed drinking vessel 100 may comprise any suitableshape or size. For example, the themed drinking vessel 100 may be shapedas any desire type of drinkware such as a cup, wine glass, martiniglass, champagne flute, a mug, and the like. The themed drinking vessel100 may also comprise any of a number of sub-sets of a particular typeof drinkware. For example, the themed drinking vessel 100 may comprisedifferent types of wine glasses having a specific shape such as thosecommonly used for red wine and white wine glasses. The themed drinkingvessel 100 may comprise any suitable material. For example, the themeddrinking vessel 100 may comprise glass, ceramic, acrylic, metal, plasticor any combination of any suitable organic or synthetic materials.

The theme 112 may comprise a decorative object or other ornamentalfeature. The theme 112 may comprise any suitable decorative object suchas a figurine, ornament, organic or abstract shape, or any desiredthree-dimensional shape. In some embodiments, the theme 112 may comprisea ball used in athletics. For example, the ball may be selected from anynumber of balls used in various types of sports such as: a golf ball, abaseball, a softball, a basketball, a tennis ball, a lacrosse ball, afootball, a soccer ball, a softball, and any other type of ball. Thetheme 112 may be constructed of any suitable material such as plastic,acrylic, glass, wood and the like by any suitable manner. For example,in one embodiment, the theme may comprise a real golf ball. In analternative embodiment, the theme may comprise a smaller scale versionof a baseball or soccer ball.

The theme 112 may be affixed to or otherwise attached to the holdingportion 104 by any suitable method. In one embodiment, the theme 112 maybe modified to receive various sizes of holding portions 104 andsubsequently coupled to the holding portions 104 in any suitable manner.For example, the theme 112 may be bonded, glued with an adhesive,welded, embedded, or otherwise mechanically connected to the holdingportion 104. In various embodiments, the theme 112 may comprise or bemodified to comprise a hold or channel passing at least part way into abody of the theme 112 to allow the holding portion 104 to be affixed tothe interior of the theme 112 by an adhesive material. In someembodiments, the theme may be printed directly onto or around theholding portion 104 using 3D printing. In some embodiments, the entirethemed drinking vessel 100 may comprise a single piece printed using 3Dprinting.

In another embodiment, the holding portion 104 may comprise a singlepiece and the theme 112 may comprise two or more pieces configured to becoupled together around the holding portion 104 and affixed in place byan adhesive or epoxy. In some embodiments, the holding portion 104 maycomprise two or more pieces. For example, referring to FIGS. 6-9 , thetheme 112 may comprise a ball with a hole or channel disposed throughthe ball that comprises a diameter selected to receive the upper portion106 and the lower portion 104 of the holding portion 104. An end of eachof the upper portion 106 and the lower portion 108 may be inserted intothe hole 702 and affixed to the interior of the theme 112 by an adhesivematerial.

FIGS. 5-9 illustrate a method of manufacturing a representativeembodiment of the present technology. In various embodiments, a methodof manufacturing a themed drinking vessel 100 may comprise coupling atheme 112 to a holding portion 104 of a drinking vessel. The holdingportion 104 may be cut at a suitable location into a lower portion 108and an upper portion 106 (502). The holding portion 104 may be cut byany suitable process. The theme 112 may then be modified to receive theholding portion (504). For example, a drill 602 may be used to drill ahole 702 or cavity through the theme 112. The theme 112 may then befilled with adhesive material 704 (506). The upper portion 106 and thelower portion 108 of the holding portion 104 may be inserted into aninterior of the theme 112 to couple the portions to an interior of thetheme 112 and/or one another (508).

The particular implementations shown and described are illustrative ofthe technology and its best mode and are not intended to otherwise limitthe scope of the present technology in any way. Indeed, for the sake ofbrevity, conventional manufacturing, connection, preparation, and otherfunctional aspects of the system may not be described in detail.Although embodiments of the present technology have been described withreference to a drinking vessel, the technology should not be viewed asbeing limited in that respect. As would be familiar with one of ordinaryskill in the art after becoming familiar with the teachings of thepresent technology, the subject matter could also be used with othertypes of holding portions or drinking vessels.

The description and figures are to be regarded in an illustrativemanner, rather than a restrictive one and all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of the present technology.Accordingly, the scope of the technology should be determined by thegeneric embodiments described and their legal equivalents rather than bymerely the specific examples described above. For example, thecomponents and/or elements recited in any apparatus embodiment may beassembled or otherwise operationally configured in a variety ofpermutations to produce substantially the same result as the presenttechnology and are accordingly not limited to the specific configurationrecited in the specific examples.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any variationthereof, are intended to reference a non-exclusive inclusion, such thata process, method, article, composition or apparatus that comprises alist of elements does not include only those elements recited but mayalso include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to suchprocess, method, article, composition or apparatus. Other combinationsand/or modifications of the above-described structures, arrangements,applications, proportions, elements, materials or components used in thepractice of the present technology, in addition to those notspecifically recited, may be varied or otherwise particularly adapted tospecific environments, manufacturing specifications, design parametersor other operating requirements without departing from the generalprinciples of the same. Any terms of degree such as “substantially,”“about,” and “approximate” as used herein mean a reasonable amount ofdeviation of the modified term such that the end result is notsignificantly changed. For example, these terms can be construed asincluding a deviation of at least ±5% of the modified term if thisdeviation would not negate the meaning of the word it modifies.

The present technology has been described above with reference toexemplary embodiments. However, changes and modifications may be made tothe exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of thepresent technology. These and other changes or modifications areintended to be included within the scope of the present technology, asexpressed in the following claims.

1. A themed drinking vessel, comprising: a bowl having a lip and a base;a holding portion comprising a first end and a second end, wherein thefirst end is affixed to a portion of the bowl; a theme disposed along asection of the holding portion between the first end and the second end.2. A themed drinking vessel according to claim 1, wherein the themecomprises a decorative object.
 3. A themed drinking vessel according toclaim 2, wherein the decorative object comprises a ball.
 4. A themeddrinking vessel according to claim 3, wherein the ball is selected fromthe group consisting of a golf ball, a baseball, a basketball, a tennisball, a lacrosse ball, a football, a soccer ball, and a softball.
 5. Athemed drinking vessel according to claim 1, wherein the holding portioncomprises: an upper portion extending between the base and the theme;and a lower portion extending between the theme and the second end.
 6. Athemed drinking vessel according to claim 5, wherein the upper portionand the lower portions of the holding portion are affixed to an interiorof the theme by an adhesive material.
 7. A themed drinking vesselaccording to claim 1, wherein the first end of the holding portionprotrudes from an upper side of the bowl and the second end of theholding portion is unconnected to the bowl.
 8. A themed drinking vesselaccording to claim 7, wherein the holding portion comprises: an upperportion extending between the upper side and the theme; and a lowerportion extending from the theme.
 9. A themed drinking vessel accordingto claim 8, wherein the upper portion and the lower portion of theholding portion are affixed to an interior of the theme by an adhesivematerial.
 10. A themed drinking vessel, comprising: a bowl having a lipand a base; a holding portion comprising a first end and a second end,wherein the first end is affixed to a portion of the bowl; and a themeaffixed to the end of the holding portion.
 11. A themed drinking vesselaccording to claim 10, wherein the theme comprises a decorative object.12. A themed drinking vessel according to claim 11, wherein thedecorative object comprises a ball.
 13. A themed drinking vesselaccording to claim 12, wherein the ball is selected from the groupconsisting of a golf ball, a baseball, a basketball, a tennis ball, alacrosse ball, a football, a soccer ball, and a softball.
 14. A themeddrinking vessel according to claim 10, wherein the second end of theholding portion is affixed to an interior of the theme by an adhesivematerial.
 15. A themed drinking vessel according to claim 10, whereinthe second end of the holding portion terminates within the theme.
 16. Athemed drinking vessel according to claim 10, further comprising: asecond theme; and a second holding portion, wherein, the second holdingportion comprises a first end and a second end, wherein: the first endis affixed to a portion of the bowl opposite the first holding portion;and the second end is affixed to the second theme.